HUMAN RESOURCE

UNIT 3 SECTION
MANAGEMENT 1 HRIS DESIGN PROCESSES
Unit 3, section 1: HRIS design processes
INFORMATION SYSTEMS

Dear

The importance of HRIS analysis is considered within recent innovations in

technology creating an enormous opportunity for human resource managers
to generate real-time information, self-service, and interactive work
environment. This allows quick access to information for managerial
decision making in organisations. Indeed, human resource functions have
evolved from manual to automated employees recordkeeping; involving
even more complex reporting and decision systems of late and the use of
enterprise solution systems. Therefore, in this unit, we shall examine the
processes involved in either creating our human resource information
system or if we have to buy off-the-shelve software for our organisation.
Our knowledge in mobilising internal and external technology resources to
capture employees’ record will be relevant in our forward match for
deploying digital technologies into people management functions. However,
we will also be guided by challenges in the face of designing or acquiring a
human resource information system

Human resource information systems design involves the knowledge of

understanding sociotechnical systems in adoption of technology for
employees’ management functions in organisations. Sociotechnical systems
view states that maximising the potential of information systems must
involve full appreciations of both the social and technical systems used in
functional activities (Laudon & Laudon, 2007). Thus, the human (social)
factors and software and hardware challenges (technically) must be
carefully studied to ensure smooth implementation of the human resource
information systems (HRIS) you intend to adopt.

Indeed, a successful implementation is an essential key of every HRIS

project, and thus commences with a comprehensive design of the system.
Hence, we shall explore the critical foundation knowledge that human
resource students will need for designing and implementing HRIS systems
in this unit. Our appreciation of the users/customers of the HRIS, the
technical possibilities, the software solution, and the systems installation
process can increase our chances that the completed system installation will
adequately meet the needs of the HRM functions of the firm.

Anybody who engages in a computer systems implementation will be the

first to tell you that successful planning, dedicated project team, top-
management support, and awareness of potential failures are recipes for
significant results of a HRIS project in organisation.

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Experts in implementing a successful HRIS project recommend that we

constantly review four main guiding questions as follows:
 Are we able to identify customers of the data, the process, and the
managerial decisions that would be made of the system?
 Is our HRIS system supporting HRM processes designed to achieve the
overall organisation goals?
 What is the level of commitment towards the HRIS implementation by
project team and management-team? and
 Are the guiding principles of the entire HRIS project implementation
receiving careful attention to every step at the system design process for
efficient firm performance?

Categories of HRIS Data Users

Human resource information system provides useful information for
different categories of interested parties and decision makers on regular
basis. So, with a successful implementation of a HRIS project, two broad
categories of users can be identified; employees and non-employees.

Employee Groups that Use HRIS Data

Staff and Line HRM Managers

Staff HR managers are employees with HRM qualifications who often work
at the human resource departments of firms. They include human resource
development managers, recruitment and selection manager, industrial
relations executives, etc. However, the line HRM managers are in other
functional units of the organisation. For instance, the marketing and
production managers are responsible for some aspects of their employee
management at their sections. All these categories of managers depend on
analysed data from HRIS to make important decisions on employees. For
instance, a staff HR in charge of pension scheme at the workplace can
analyse employees’ age profile to determine the average years of staff at
different levels of the organisation. In managerial decision making on
recruitment, mangers can use age profile to design important policy
document guiding the current and future employees in the organisation.

HRM Information Systems Analysts

Systems analysts job is an emerging trend in today’s organisations that
recruit IT specialists with HRM qualifications to take responsibility for the
HR data management. Their data usage involves predictive and explorative
analysis of employees’ data to spot emerging trends. Systems analysts also
perform what-if-analysis and scenario tools available in data analysis
software to enhance their work. They keep constant eye on the HRIS
database and advise management. The difference between information
systems analyst and the managers is that whilst the mangers have the power
to make policies, the system information systems analyst only spot patterns
in the people management data for the organisation. System analysts also

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referred to as power users because they have several administrative and

security privileges than ordinary users of the system. Analysts also have
proficiency in the use of structured query tools, understand the processes of
HRIS system data gathering, and appreciate verification procedures of the
systems’ data. Above all, they require comprehensive knowledge of data
definitions in terms of how the data table is structured and regularly updated
data.

Clerical HR Employees
It is a common to see secretaries in most government and private
organisations today performing administrative functions such as filling
letters, typing reports, and taking minutes at meetings using manual
procedures. So, deployment of IT in human resource management has
created another category of HRIS users called the clerical HR employees
who are often located in offices helping their bosses with routine
information needs. They retrieve and update employees’ records with
systems privileges granted to them by the power users. Their superiors
sometimes require them to generate periodic reports from the HRIS systems.
Clerical staff play important role in providing timely information on new
and existing employees for other HR executives. Therefore, their
involvement in the design and implementation of the HRIS project is crucial
towards its success. They need to be trained in areas such as data handling
protocols, ethical and data protection information (focus of Unit 6 of this
manual).

Employee Self-Service
The use of digital technologies in management has offered users tremendous
amount of access to information. As you work for your current and future
organisations, you will constantly require knowledge of existing HRM
policies guiding your health, career development, motivation, and
termination of appointment. However, some employees have difficulty
accessing such information from their organisations. With the deployment
of HRIS systems, we can now read these policies from web sites to enable
us make informed decisions towards achieving our organisation’s strategic
goals. Truly, access to information is a source of empowerment to
employees.

Besides access to information, HR departments can ask for updates of

biographic data with log in privileges to employees. Employees also need
access to their data on pay and deductions and electronic financial
transactions. Today, employees are able to receive job posting and training
information from their firm’s web portal. Email services generated for
individuals and groups on HRIS portals are common practices today.
Obviously, involving employees in the implementation of HRIS systems
will greatly contribute to its success stories. The upside of using self-service
help reduces stationery costs and provides quick access to information for

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employees. On the other hand, data security issues must be top of the
agenda when granting employees access to your HRIS systems.

HRIS Technician
When you are leading the drive to adopt HRIS systems for your
organisation’s human resource management functions, consider coming
along with a dedicated small team of backroom technical experts in database
management. HRIS technicians are core staff of IT specialists involved in
designing the HRIS hardware and software architecture. They are specialists
in programming, database administration and security, and network
installation. These technicians must be willing to be on stand-by when
needed to troubleshoot systems challenges for users. HRIS technicians work
closely with HRM information systems analysts to understand how HRM
functions are executed in order not to design systems with limited HRM
needs applications.

The Non-Employees Users of HRIS Systems

Non-employer user groups are individuals who require information from
organisations but are not employees for various reasons. This group
includes:

Potential job seekers

Online recruitment is gaining popularity amongst job seekers today. It is
projected that between 70% to 90% large organisations use online
recruitment (Stone, Lukasszewski & Isenhour, 2002). Prospective job
seekers who are well educated, technology savvy, and searching for higher-
level positions are found to regularly use online recruitment (McManus &
Ferguson, 2003). With these facts in mind, our HRIS interface has to be
user-friendly since online recruitment is increasing. There will not be
training for this group of users. Therefore, you provide links to available
jobs on your firm’s recruitment services since job seekers are external
marketers of your products and services. Web portals are essential resource
for creating pool of job seekers today. Hence, design forms to collect job
seekers’ demographic data to enable you create database of prospective
applicants for future recruitment purposes.

Partner firms
Another group of HRIS users are companies with intention of forming
business alliance with your organisation. Such companies will like to share
resources such as customers, markets, and management expertise. This often
comes in the form of mergers and acquisitions or takeovers. Business
partners will require information to make decisions as to whether it will be
prudent to enter strategic alliance for expansion purpose and outsourcing.
Today, with the advent of IT tools, business outsourcing can deliver huge
opportunities to conglomerates and subsidiary firms considering the firm’s
human resource competitive advantage. Human resources competitive
advantage is inimitable therefore, when implementing your HRIS project,

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consider highlighting those unique human resource capabilities possessed

by your organisation.

Evaluation Activity
Discuss the relevance of HRIS data to the following:
1. Potential job seekers
2. Existing employees
3. Partner firms
4. Staff and line human resource managers

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